1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a suction muffler in a hermetic reciprocating compressor, in particular, which provides a valve construction having distribution paths inside the suction muffler in order to facilitate the flow of refrigerant gas as well as attenuate various noises created from suction valve.
2. Description of the Related Art
As well known to the skilled in the art, compressors for converting mechanical energy into compressed energy of compressive fluid are divided into a reciprocating compressor, a scroll-type compressor, a centrifugal (turbo) compressor, a vane-type (rotary) compressor and the like.
In the reciprocating compressor (so-called hermetic reciprocating compressor) of the above compressors, a driving motor drives a crank shaft with rotating force, which is converted into linear reciprocating motion by a connecting rod connected to the crank shaft so that a piston sucks in refrigerant gas with low temperature and pressure to discharge the same after converting into the refrigerant gas with high temperature and pressure while linearly reciprocating within a cylinder.
FIG. 1 is the schematic construction of a reciprocating compressor.
Referring to FIG. 1, the reciprocating compressor is constituted of a hermetic vessel 110 defining a housing, a frame 120 installed inside the hermetic vessel 110, a driving motor M installed under the frame 120 and having a stator 130 and a rotor 140, a crank shaft 150 coupled to the inside diameter of the rotor 140 of the driving motor and having an eccentric section 151 at one end, a connecting rod 171 connected to the eccentric section 151 of the crank shaft 150 and the lower end of the piston 170 for converting the rotating force of the crank shaft 150 into linear reciprocating motion, a cylinder 160 coupled to the upper part of the frame 120 and a piston 170 connected to the connecting rod 171 coupled to the eccentric section 151 of the crank shaft 150 for linearly reciprocating inside the cylinder 160.
The cylinder 160 is provided with suction and discharge valves 180 and 190 for sucking in and exhausting refrigerant gas, in which the suction and discharge valves 180 and 190 are respectively provided with a suction muffler 230 and a discharge plenum 240 as shown in FIG. 2.
Referring to FIG. 2, in the discharge plenum 240, the refrigerant gas compressed in high temperature and pressure through linear movement of the piston 170 is ejected via a outlet 162 and the discharge valve 190 of the cylinder 160, and the refrigerant gas in high temperature and pressure ejected through the outlet 162 and the outlet 190 flows to the discharge pipe 241 which is installed in one side of the cylinder.
Further, the suction muffler 230 is provided with a refrigerant suction portion 231 at one side and a suction pipe 220 linearly extended from the suction portion 231, in which the refrigerant gas changed into low temperature and pressure by an evaporator (not shown) is introduced to the refrigerant suction portion 231, and sucked into the suction portion 161 and the suction valve 180 of the cylinder 160.
The suction tube 220 of the suction muffler 230 is spaced from the suction tube 210 penetrating the hermetic vessel 110 with a predetermined interval so that the refrigerant gas in low temperature and pressure flowing from the evaporator is introduced into a compressor. Also shown is a refrigerant outlet 232.
The hermetic reciprocating compressor constructed as above is operated as follows.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, when the hermetic reciprocating compressor is energized, a current is induced between the stator 130 and the rotor 140 which are components of the driving motor M so as to rotate the rotator 140. Rotation of the rotor 140 makes the crank shaft 150 inserted into the rotor 140 rotate in the same direction as the rotor 140.
Rotation of the crank shaft 150 causes the connecting rod 171 connecting between the eccentric section 151 of the crank shaft 150 and the piston 170 to linearly reciprocate as well as the piston 170 to linearly reciprocate within the cylinder 160 also.
When the piston 170 linearly reciprocates like this, the refrigerant gas in low temperature and pressure ejected from the evaporator is introduced into the suction muffler 230 through the suction tube 220 of the suction muffler 230 and the refrigerant suction portion 231.
The refrigerant gas in low temperature and pressure introduced into the suction muffler 230 is introduced into the cylinder through the suction valve 180 and the suction portion 161 mounted in the exit side, and the refrigerant gas introduced into the cylinder 160 is compressed into a high temperature and pressure by the piston 170 linearly reciprocating within the cylinder 160.
The refrigerant gas compressed into the high temperature and pressure by the piston is ejected to the discharge plenum 240 through the outlet 162 and the discharge valve 190 of the cylinder, and the refrigerant gas discharged to the discharge plenum 240 is flown into the discharge pipe 241 installed under the discharge plenum 240 so as to circulate in a cooling cycle.
However, referring to the flow of the refrigerant gas in the suction muffler 230 of the related art as shown in FIG. 2, the refrigerant gas in low temperature and pressure flows backward into the suction muffler 230 from the suction valve 180 while it flows along a suction path of the refrigerant gas leading to the suction portion 161 of the cylinder 160 and the suction valve 180 through the suction muffler 230, which is caused by suction valve closure.
In this case, the refrigerant gas flowing into the suction muffler 230 after ejected from the evaporator meets the refrigerant gas flowing backward into the suction muffler 230 from the suction valve 180.
Accordingly, the flowing pressure of the refrigerant gas flown backward into the suction muffler 230 obstructs the new refrigerant gas ejected from the evaporator from feeding into the cylinder 160 thereby causing a problem that the cooling power of the compressor is degraded by a large amount.
Further, when the refrigerant gas ejected from the evaporator passes through the suction valve 180 via the suction muffler 230, a complex sound pressure (noise) including vibrational noise and valve sonance produced from the suction valve and flowing noise of refrigerant gas is transferred to the refrigerant outlet 232 of the suction muffler 230 along the suction path of the refrigerant gas, i.e. a path along which the refrigerant gas is sucked to the suction portion 161 of the cylinder 160 through the suction muffler 230 and the suction valve 180.
In this case, the complex sound pressure transferred as above is not completely attenuated in the suction muffler 230. Accordingly, there is a problem that noise in the suction muffler 230 and the compressor is intensified. Further, the noise created in the compressor itself is transferred to the outside incurring noise pollution. In particular, there is a severe problem that the noise from the compressor may cause the compressor itself to break down.
Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the foregoing problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a muffler in a reciprocating compressor which can reduce various noises produced from the flow of refrigerant and enhance the cooling ability as well as mount a floating valve within the muffler to reduce the reflow and enhance the attenuation effect of sound pressure.
The muffler of the invention is characterized in that the floating valve diverges and converges the reflowing refrigerant so that the refrigerant is converged again at a certain point after divergence to create a vortex flow thereby prevent any flow toward an inlet.
The muffler of the invention is further characterized in that the diverging and converging lengths of the floating valve is so adjusted that propagating sound pressures which diverge and converge in the floating valve have the mutual phase difference of 180xc2x0 to offset each other thereby preventing further propagation of sound waves.
It is another object of the invention to provide a muffler in a reciprocating compressor, which has a Tesla valve having two distribution paths mounted within the muffler installed over a suction valve in order to attenuate a complex sound pressure (noise) such as vibrational noise, valve sonance and flowing noise and pulsative noise of refrigerant gas in low temperature discharged via an evaporator while enhance the cooling ability of the compressor by preventing the fluctuation of the refrigerant gas reflowing into the suction muffler so that the Tesla valve prevents the fluctuation of the refrigerant gas reflowing into the suction muffler from the suction valve thereby enhancing the cooling force of the compressor.
The muffler of the invention is characterized in that the Tesla valve enhances the attenuation effect of the complex sound pressure (noise) which is transferred to the suction valve through a suction path of the refrigerant gas leading to the suction muffler, the suction valve and the suction portion of the cylinder.
It is other object of the invention to provide a suction muffler in a reciprocating compressor, which mounts a Tesla valve having the two distribution paths within the suction muffler installed over a suction valve in order to attenuate the complex sound pressure (noise) such as vibrational noise, valve sonance and flowing noise and pulsative noise produced from the suction valve as well as enhance the cooling ability of the compressor.
According to an aspect of the invention to obtain the above objects, it is provided a muffler mounted for exhausting introduced refrigerant via a suction valve, attenuating the complex noise produced from the suction valve and enhancing the cooling ability in a reciprocating compressor, the muffler comprising: a floating valve for diverging the refrigerant flowing backward into the muffler from the suction valve at the first point and allowing diverged branches of the refrigerant to meet each other at the second point to attenuate the fluctuation of the refrigerant.
Preferably, the floating valve is a Tesla valve, and the Tesla valve includes two pipes for divergence and convergence.
More preferably, the pipes of divergence and convergence include linear and circular pipes, wherein one end of at least one pipe is coupled with a central portion of the other pipe.
Preferably, each of the linear and circular pipes is shaped as a venturi tube.
Preferably, a sound pressure transferred to the first pipe is diverged into the first and second sound waves at the first point to propagate along the first and second pipes, and the second sound wave propagating along the second pipe is offset at the second point where the first and second sound waves meet each other.
Further preferably, the first sound wave propagating along the first pipe and the second sound wave propagating along the second pipe have a phase difference of 180xc2x0 at the second point.
According to another aspect of the invention to obtain the above objects, it is provided a muffler mounted in a reciprocating compressor for exhausting introduced refrigerant via a suction valve, reducing noise due to the fluctuation of the refrigerant and enhancing the cooling ability, the muffler comprising a Tesla valve having a plurality of pipes with two distribution paths to diverge and converge the refrigerant reflowing from the suction valve into the muffler.
Preferably, the Tesla valve includes a linear pipe and a circular pipe with one pipe penetrating a central portion of the other pipe to define divergence and convergence points of the reflowing refrigerant.
According to further another aspect of the invention to obtain the above objects, it is provided a muffler in a reciprocating compressor, comprising: a Tesla valve mounted to the muffler and having the first pipe with a small value of path resistance against the reflow of refrigerant and the second pipe with a relatively large value of path resistance, wherein the first and second pipes penetrate each other, whereby the refrigerant is discharged via a suction valve in respect to the stationary flow thereof, and diverged or converged in respect to the reflow thereof.
According to still another aspect of the invention to obtain the above objects, it is provided a muffler in a reciprocating compressor, comprising: a Tesla valve mounted to the refrigerant exit side and having the first and second pipes, wherein the first and second pipes have divergence and convergence points in respect to the reflow of refrigerant, and converge with the phase difference of 180xc2x0 between the first sound pressure diverged to the first pipe and the second sound pressure diverged to the second pipe in respect to the reflow of refrigerant.